Chapter 8: A Village Full of Beauties and Danger

Li Wei's night had been restless. Dreams of glowing transformations and piercing golden eyes kept pulling him in and out of sleep. When morning finally came, he felt as though he had been thrown into a washing machine and spat back out.

"Get up, prey," Diana's voice boomed from outside the hut.

Li Wei groaned, pulling the makeshift blanket over his head. "Five more minutes. I'm not built for all this drama first thing in the morning."

"You don't have five minutes," Charlotte said as she barged in. "You have thirty seconds before Diana drags you out by the ankle."

"Good luck with that," Li Wei muttered. "I'll go limp."

Charlotte grinned, her wolf ears twitching in amusement. "Oh, she loves a challenge."

Before Li Wei could respond, Diana stormed in, her fiery presence enough to wake the dead. "Out. Now."

"Fine, fine!" Li Wei scrambled out of his sleeping mat, throwing his hands up in surrender. "What's the emergency? Did someone run out of hair products?"

Diana's sharp gaze didn't waver. "We have a visitor."

Li Wei soon found himself standing in the village square, surrounded by the beast-women, all of whom had reverted to their human-like forms. Their beauty was no less distracting in the morning sunlight, though their beastly traits still gave them an edge of danger.

At the center of the square stood a stranger, a tall man with an aura so intense it made Li Wei's skin crawl. He was human, or at least he looked human, but something about him felt… off. His piercing gray eyes scanned the crowd, lingering a moment too long on Li Wei.

"Who's that?" Li Wei whispered to Freya, who stood beside him.

Freya's usual playful demeanor was gone, replaced by a rare seriousness. "He's from the Borderlands."

"The Borderlands?" Li Wei echoed. "Is that bad?"

"Bad doesn't even begin to cover it," Freya muttered.

The man stepped forward, his movements smooth and deliberate. "I see the rumors were true," he said, his voice cold and commanding. "You've been harboring a human."

Li Wei stiffened, feeling the weight of every gaze in the square turn toward him. "Uh, hello?" he said awkwardly, raising a hand. "I'm right here. Not exactly 'harboring' if I'm standing in the open, is it?"

The man ignored him, addressing the group instead. "Do you know what this could mean for the balance between our worlds? A human does not belong here."

"Neither do you," Diana shot back, stepping in front of Li Wei. Her lioness ears twitched in irritation, and her sharp gaze dared the man to challenge her.

The man's lips curled into a smirk. "Bold words, lioness. But I'm not here to argue. I'm here to deliver a warning."

"Warning?" Victoria stepped forward, her serpentine elegance making her presence all the more intimidating. "Speak plainly, Borderlander."

The man's smirk faded, replaced by a look of disdain. "The human must leave. If he stays, he will bring destruction upon this village—and perhaps even this realm."

The square erupted into chaos. Some of the beast-women voiced their agreement, arguing that Li Wei's presence was a risk they couldn't afford. Others, like Freya and Charlotte, fiercely defended him.

"He's not a threat," Charlotte growled, her wolfish nature surfacing. "He's just… an idiot."

"Hey!" Li Wei protested. "I'm right here!"

Freya placed a calming hand on Charlotte's shoulder. "The point is," she said, addressing the crowd, "Li Wei is under our protection. We don't abandon our own—no matter how annoying they may be."

Li Wei felt a pang of gratitude, though he wasn't sure how he felt about being called annoying.

"Enough," Diana barked, silencing the crowd. She turned to the stranger, her golden eyes blazing. "If you're so concerned about the balance, why don't you leave?"

The man's smirk returned. "Very well. But don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, he turned and walked away, his figure fading into the forest. The tension in the square lingered long after he was gone.

Back in Diana's hut, Li Wei sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by Freya, Charlotte, and Victoria. Diana paced back and forth, her frustration evident.

"Who does that guy think he is?" Li Wei said, breaking the silence. "Waltzing in here like he owns the place."

"He's a messenger," Victoria said, her tone clipped. "And messengers from the Borderlands don't lie. If he says you're a threat, there's a reason."

Li Wei frowned. "So, what do we do? Throw me out and hope for the best?"

"No one's throwing you out," Freya said firmly. "But we do need to figure out why you're so important to them."

"Maybe I'm just special," Li Wei suggested, trying to lighten the mood. No one laughed.

Diana stopped pacing, her expression resolute. "We'll train you."

Li Wei blinked. "Train me? For what?"

"To survive," Diana said. "If the Borderlands are involved, this isn't just about you anymore. It's about all of us."

Li Wei swallowed hard. "No pressure, then."

As the sun set over the village, Li Wei found himself standing in a clearing, a wooden staff in hand. Diana stood opposite him, her lioness features more pronounced in the dim light.

"First lesson," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "Never let your guard down."

Before Li Wei could respond, Diana lunged at him, her movements a blur. He barely had time to raise the staff before she was upon him, knocking him flat on his back.

"Ow," he groaned, staring up at the sky. "I think I preferred running for my life."

"Get up," Diana said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "This is just the beginning."

As Li Wei dragged himself to his feet, he couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into. One thing was certain, his life would never be the same.

And neither would theirs.